MOBILE, Ala. – That Chris Henderson has grown cannot be argued.
After all, he was listed at 215 pounds on the University of South Alabama football roster as a true freshman back in 2016, 25 fewer than he measured in the preseason leading into the 2020 campaign. But pure weight alone does not explain his increased production on the field over the last couple of years, much less his standing in the Jaguar locker room.
It's his growth beneath the helmet and shoulder pads that has made him one of the leaders of the program this fall.
"What you see with Chris is a guy maturing into the role of a leader, he has taken that responsibility upon himself as one of the older guys now. He has brought a lot of accountability not only to the defensive side of the ball but to the team," explained Jag head coach Steve Campbell. "Going through this pandemic you needed some guys to help steady the ship, and Chris has been an individual who has shown up to work every day with a great attitude whether it's been in the weight room, throughout the offseason or through each phase of the return to activity. And now he has taken that into practice and the game. Whenever you have an older guy like a Chris Henderson who accepts that responsibility, that's huge for your team.
"Chris has done that through a lot of uncertainty, he has been a lighthouse setting a great example for our guys to follow."
"In fall camp I thought Chris was a good leader, he brought intensity and he worked hard in practice every day; he has gotten a lot better," added assistant coach Larry Hart, who works with South's outside linebackers. "Chris has been through a lot of adversity, in the time that we've been here he has experienced a lot of ups and downs but he has continued to come back and work. This year he has done a really good job being a leader on and off the field."
Henderson's physical development came after his first season at South. He appeared in eight contests that fall, recording six tackles as the Jags earned an invitation to the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. But in order to play a bigger role in the team's defense moving forward, he felt he need to make some changes.
"I needed to put on weight and get stronger," he recalled. "When I came in as freshman I was 200, 205 pounds, but I was around 235 at the start of my sophomore year and all of my maxs had increased."
But there was also a realization for the naturally-gifted Henderson that he was going to need a better work ethic to compete at the NCAA Division I level as well. "Whatever you put into the game is exactly what you will get out of it," he said. "I really had to learn how to work hard and train on my own so that it would show on the field on Saturdays.
"I wanted to get bigger, faster and stronger, but I also wanted to study more game film," Henderson continued. "In high school we watched film on the opponent two days a week, when I got to college I found that you have to watch film with your coaches literally every day in addition to what you do on your own time. A majority of the game is knowing your opponent, one of the goals I set for myself was to know our opponents inside and out so when I step out there on the field it's easier to make plays.
"It was hard to adjust to that when I was younger after you added the homework load and practices, but that has gotten fairly easy for me now."
Henderson would play in three more games during the 2017 season, recording three more stops including 2½ behind the line of scrimmage. He was also credited with two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble, recording a sack at Louisiana Tech as well. Just as it appeared that Henderson was settling into a role he could grow into for the Jaguars, a change was made in the leadership of the program.
"Initially it was kind of difficult because I lost the coaches who had recruited me," he said. "But when the new staff got here we welcomed them with open arms, and they talked to us and cared for us. They made it easier than how I thought it would be."
Although unsure of what to expect, Campbell and his staff decided to move Henderson from the defensive line to linebacker. "With the old staff I was more of a hand-down defensive end, but they moved me to a 3-4 outside linebacker," he remembered. "They gave me an opportunity to show how versatile I am, and that I can move in space."
The early results seemed promising, especially when Henderson tied a career high with three stops while also making a diving interception in the program's debut under Campbell against Louisiana Tech. He was credited with another tackle the following week at Oklahoma State, but those outside the program watching had no idea he wasn"t close to full health. He would end up missing eight of the Jaguars' last 10 contests that fall, returning in late October as South faced rival Troy and Arkansas State.
"Most people don't know that I hurt my quad the Thursday before we played LA Tech in the first game," said Henderson. "I woke up on game day hurting very bad, but I wanted to push through it and had the interception and a couple of tackles. Fighting through that was extremely difficult but my brothers kept me going and the coaches were supportive, I felt the love and just wanted to go out and play for them. It was hard getting my legs back under me, that was definitely a tough time."
Henderson had been diagnosed with myositis ossificans, a condition where bone tissue forms inside muscle or other soft tissue after an injury. In that instance, the body makes an error in the healing process and muscle cells — also known as fibroblasts — are accidentally replaced by immature bone cells at the site of the injury. Eventually this can cause a hard lump or bump to develop within the muscle, which is exactly what happened to Henderson.
"That was tough because Chris was a starter coming out of fall camp," said Hart. "He tried to push through it, but that injury lasted for about eight weeks. That was a tough time for Chris. The thing that I tell all of our guys is that adversity is going to happen, but that it will help develop our character as men. He did a great job responding to that, he has grown when challenges come his way on or off the field and responded the right way."
The results a recovered Henderson produced were much improved. After making 18 tackles his first three seasons with the program, he was credited with 23 a year ago; that included recording multiple stops on seven occasions.
"That was big time because I really haven't been that productive since I've been here," Henderson observed. "Just being able to get out there, even in a back-up role, and play 20-30 snaps a game was just fun to be out there with my brothers for a full season."
Rather than wondering what statistics a healthy Henderson can put up, perhaps one should consider his accomplishments thus far at the collegiate level an achievement based on his background. Born and raised in Atlanta, other than one experience with the game as child football was not a part of his life.
"When I was younger I tried to play running back, but got hit too hard and I quit," he said. Henderson was into basketball, although, in his own words, "I wasn't that good, but I liked to watch it. At that time I liked to skateboard and play video games."
He started playing the game in earnest in eighth grade, following the first of multiple family moves. After the Hendersons relocated to Clayton County, he went out for the team on the recommendation of coaches at North Clayton Middle School because his brother was playing for North Clayton High School. A year — and another move — later, Henderson found himself at Lovejoy High School in Hampton, nearly 30 miles south of Atlanta.
My parents just wanted things to be better for us than they had growing up, they put their head down and went to work every day and we moved further and further south because that's where the better environment was," Henderson explained. "I felt like I handled it pretty well. Meeting new people has never been hard for me, I have always been a people person; I love meeting and talking to new people."
At Lovejoy High, Henderson found himself playing center on the offensive line for two years. It wasn't until the Wildcat coaching staff shifted Henderson to the other side of the ball that Henderson was set on a path that would lead to playing at the collegiate level.
"It was definitely a fun experience because at that time I didn't see myself going to a Division I school, I didn't even think I was going to get any offers because I played center my freshman and sophomore seasons," he recalled. "Playing at a powerhouse like Lovejoy was at that time, I sat behind some pretty good guys those years. Making the transition to defensive end I didn't think I was going to make too many plays, but I kept my head and down continued to work every day and it turned out pretty good for me."
Pretty good might be an understatement. That fall he was credited with 12 sacks, ranking among the top 15 in Georgia in the category. Henderson can even remember the moment when he thought earning a college scholarship might be possible.
"Playing defensive end my junior year I went against the No. 1 tackle in the country according to ESPN at that time, watching his highlight tape he had pancakes against every defensive end he went against," he said. "I was the only opponent that year who he didn't put on his back, after that I figured I could probably play Division I football."
That tackle was Chuma Edoga, who would go on to play collegiately at Southern California and is now in his second season with the National Football League's New York Jets. Following the season, Henderson participated — along with future collegiate teammate Jeremiah Littles — in the Rising Seniors All-Star Game in December 2014. Which is when the scholarship offers started coming in.
"I got my first offer from Louisville when I was in the cafeteria eating lunch, he called my coach and told me over the phone," he remembered. "My mind was blown at that time, but then other offers started rolling in after I played in the all-star game after my junior season. I committed to Indiana a couple of weeks after that — there have been a lot of good edge rushers to come out of the Big Ten — and was looking to go there until two weeks before signing day when I flipped to South.
"Indiana wanted me to play a 3-4 defensive end, but my high school coach was telling me that I fit better in a 4-3 or 4-2-5 scheme so that played into the decision. So did the distance from home and the cold weather. Coming to South Alabama was a good choice."
Making it to the collegiate level with so little experience on the field is difficult. "It's tough, but Chris has a lot of natural ability and he has worked hard to hone that," said Campbell. "I think that Chris is still getting better, he has made improvement this year over last year. He pushes himself to get better each day, you can see that development continuing as the season goes on."
With the Jaguars 1-0 in the Sun Belt Conference coming into tonight's game against ULM — the last of four straight at home — Henderson's goals for the fall are still in front of him. "My goal is the same as the overall team goal, it's to just win," he explained. "We believe we can go undefeated and win the conference championship. I just want to lead my team and help keep everyone positive so we can go win the next ball game."
After that is the potential to play at the professional level. Why would scouts be interested in an individual with limited experience at his position?
"First, Chris is very intelligent," said Hart. He's a very, very smart guy, he knows what the offense is going to give him. He also has a really good first step and is long and athletic, so he possesses all the tools to be a really good player."
He also has received feedback on areas he can work to improve throughout the fall.
"I need to work on moving better in space," Henderson said. "I have heard that I am explosive and I can rush the passer decently, but that's part of making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker."
Before that, however, Henderson is set to do something no other individual his family can claim. At the conclusion of the fall semester in December, he is in line to received his degree from South Alabama in leisure studies.
"I saw my brother and my dad go to college but not finish, my mom didn't go to high school," he said. "My parents have always wanted more for me than they had, to be the first in the family to graduate college makes me feel special because that's something that statistically not a lot of people do where I'm from."
And Henderson hopes to use that degree when he is done playing football to become a member of the coaching fraternity. His goal is to coach at the collegiate level, to become a graduate assistant first and work his way up. It's a decision he came to long before arriving at South.
"I knew back in the 10th and 11th grade back when I was in high school," said Henderson. "I just love to help people out and put a smile on their face. Coaching would allow me to make an impact on kids' lives and teach them how not to make the same mistakes that I've made; hopefully that can help make them a better player and a better person."
Just another sign of the growth Chris Henderson has made in his time as a Jaguar.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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